Box Score
VERMILLION, S.D. – Houston Baptist senior guard Andrew Gonzalez scored 28 points and became the 16th Husky to reach 1,000 career points in a 90-73 loss to South Dakota in Great West Conference basketball Thursday night at the DakotaDome.
Gonzalez, who is only the third player in HBU history to reach 1,000 in only two seasons, shot 9-of-18 from the field, including 3-of-7 from behind the arc, and hit 7-of-8 from the line. Junior forward Sammy Obetoh came off the bench to add nine points and six rebounds, while senior guard Michael Moss scored eight and had seven assists for the Huskies (2-17, 1-3 GWC).
Charlie Westbrook and Jake Thomas scored 25 points each for the Coyotes (10-10, 2-1). Trevor Gruis added 17 points and nine rebounds, and Ricardo Andreotti had a game-high 15 rebounds.
The Coyotes scored the first six points of the second half to take an eight-point lead. HBU answered back to cut the lead to 51-49, but South Dakota went on a 12-0 run to take an 14-point lead with 12:42 left. The Huskies fought back to within seven the Coyotes used another 12-0 run to go up by 19. Gonzalez laid the ball up and got a basket interference call with 6:21 to go for his 26th point of the game, which gave him his milestone 1,000th point.
South Dakota scored nine of the game's first 12 points, but HBU kept it close and tied the game at 20-20 on a layup by Sammy Obetoh. Behind Thomas' hot shooting, the Coyotes went back up, 32-26, but senior forward Fred Hinnenkamp answered with a three of his own to cut the lead to three. Thomas' fourth three of the half gave South Dakota a six-point lead with 1:05 to go in the first, but Gonzalez hit a pair of free throws and freshman guard Jonathan Evans hit a baseline jumper with three seconds left to cut the Coyotes lead to 41-39 at the break. Thomas hit 5-of-10 from the field and 4-of-8 from behind the arc and 5-of-5 from the free throw line to finish the half with 19 points for the Coyotes, while Gonzalez hit 6-of-10 from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers, and went 4-of-5 from the free throw line to tally 18 points for the Huskies.
The Coyotes shot 47.8 percent from the field for the game and hit 36.4 percent (8-for-22) from behind the arc, while the Huskies shot 40.8 percent from the floor but only 22.7 percent (5-for-22) from 3-point range. South Dakota also outrebounded HBU, 44-39.
The Huskies wrap up the road trip against North Dakota Saturday at 3 p.m. in Grand Forks, N.D., before finishing the season with seven of their last nine games at home.
